UCSC student Benjamin Quaye had just been ejected from a pub for fighting. He was visibly drunk and staggered along the street, trying to make his way home. Then he tripped, fell down a gully, hit his head and died. His body was discovered the next morning by a jogger. Now Quaye’s mother is suing the city for $2 million, claiming Santa Cruz police are responsible for his death.
UCSC student Benjamin Quaye had just been ejected from a pub for fighting. He was visibly drunk and staggered along the street, trying to make his way home. Then he tripped, fell down a gully, hit his head and died. His body was discovered the next morning by a jogger. Now Quaye’s mother is suing the city for $2 million, claiming Santa Cruz police are responsible for his death.
Beverly Quaye says police officers with the SCPD noticed her son as he was stumbling down the street and should have followed him or even driven him home instead of letting him get there on his own. Had they picked him up, she contends, he wouldn’t have tripped and would still be alive today.
The police disagree, and they have the support of Mayor Mike Rotkin. “Even if she’s right and the police took notice of him, our police do not have an obligation to interact or stop every person they see who might be appearing drunk or stumbling on the street,” Rotkin said. The mayor pointed out that while drunk driving is a violation of the law and demands police intervention, drunk walking is not. Assistant City Attorney Tony Condotti agrees, and says that California law offers immunity for police officers against claims that they did not offer adequate protection.
Nevertheless, the city council will discuss the lawsuit at its meeting next Tuesday and decide what formal steps to take. While everyone agrees that the loss was a tragedy, they are reluctant to place the onus of blame on the city. Read more at KSBW.
